The Storm Was Brewing!

This strange phenomenon came from outside the village. The Inner Circle should be fine! Wei Fan thought to himself.

He was somewhat worried about Wei Yingying, but Little Shadow had already gone over and nothing unusual had happened, so Wei Fan relaxed.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Piercing gongs rang out throughout Wushan Village.

It was the signal that a crisis had begun.

After glancing at the white frost that had already spread over the city walls, Wei Fan turned and headed for the Northern District outpost.

The Northern District outpost, where Lu Qingshan was stationed, was the Night Watchers' headquarters. Thus, whenever a crisis too difficult to handle arose, the Vice Captains would gather here to discuss how to respond.

Wei Fan employed his movement technique and swiftly darted through the night.

Within a few breaths, he arrived at the Northern District outpost.

Lu Qingshan stood atop the watchtower, his brows furrowed into deep vertical lines.

"Captain!" Wei Fan cupped his hands. "What happened?"

"Alas, let's wait until everyone is here and discuss it together." Lu Qingshan sighed, his expression somewhat grim.

Wei Fan did not ask further and simply waited quietly.

A few breaths later, Shi Meng arrived as well.

Wei Fan looked at him. Shi Meng wore a flustered, panicked expression too, clearly having no idea what was happening.

Even Wei Fan sensed danger in the face of such a large-scale disaster, let alone Shi Meng, who was only in the Divine Strength Realm.

After another quarter of an hour, Lu Qingshan frowned toward the Western District. "Why hasn't that fellow Zhu Luo arrived yet?"

"For something this important, he shouldn't be dropping the ball!" Shi Meng was equally anxious.

Wei Fan said nothing from the side. Only he knew that Zhu Luo was already dead.

"Wait another eighth of an hour. If he still doesn't come, we'll go find the Talisman Master first," Lu Qingshan said.

Meanwhile, within the Inner Circle of Wushan Village, at the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce.

Inside a hastily erected tent, a goateed old man sat in the seat of honor.

Below him were two rows of four seats, four on each side.

A warrior with powerful blood and vitality sat in every seat.

Liu Yin'er was among them as well, though unlike the others' tension, she appeared utterly relaxed.

"This tiny backwater of Wushan Village actually encountered a Fierce Level Calamity of Strangeness. It has truly ruined any mood for sightseeing!"

Liu Yin'er spoke lazily.

At her words, the faces of the others present twitched unnaturally.

A Fierce Level Calamity of Strangeness sounded like child's play when she spoke of it.

"Ahem!"

The goateed old man coughed twice, then said in a booming voice,

"Yin'er, stop fooling around. Since we have encountered a Calamity of Strangeness this time, let us discuss together how to deal with it."

"Why not let Wushan Village deal with it themselves? We can preserve our strength and act only at the critical moment," someone suggested.

"No. I suggest we join forces with Wushan Village. There is strength in numbers; together, we can resist the Calamity of Strangeness."

Liu Yin'er, meanwhile, looked utterly unconcerned, clearly lacking interest.

The goateed old man stroked his beard as though in thought. After a while, he slowly spoke:

"When a fire breaks out at the city gate, the fish in the moat suffer. If they cannot hold it back, the ordinary members of the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce will suffer disaster as well.

So we should still join forces with Wushan Village's warriors. That is the best course of action!"

Hearing this, everyone nodded one after another, raising no objections.

Elsewhere, at the Zhu family residence.

Inside the main hall, a scar-faced middle-aged man stood with his hands behind his back. Simply standing there, he exuded an imposing aura.

This man was the true wielder of power in Wushan Village—the Zhu family head, Zhu Yiwu!

"Father, what should we do now?" Zhu Chenghuan looked at Zhu Yiwu with deep reverence.

Zhu Linyi stood nearby as well, his expression tense.

He was the only member of the Zhu family without talent for the Martial Path. He was still in the Early Strength Training stage and had no real combat experience. If the Calamity of Strangeness truly erupted, he likely would not even be able to handle White Ghost Level strange creatures.

"Stay calm. Look at how little backbone you two have!"

As a Peak Mortal Realm expert, Zhu Yiwu was the pillar of the Zhu family. In the face of a disaster like the Calamity of Strangeness, he needed to make the final decision.

"I never expected the Calamity of Strangeness to appear again after several decades. I only hope not too many people die this time!" A sharp glint flashed through Zhu Yiwu's eyes.

Then Zhu Yiwu walked out through the residence gates. He glanced in the direction of the Talisman Master Tower, snorted coldly, and headed toward the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce.

He intended to borrow the Chamber of Commerce's aid to resist this Calamity of Strangeness.

While Zhu Yiwu went to visit the Luoyuan Chamber of Commerce, Lu Qingshan led Wei Fan and Shi Meng to the Talisman Master Tower.

This was Wei Fan's second visit to the Talisman Master Tower. This time, he did not feel the intense sense of crisis he had felt on his first visit.

Yet the strange energy permeating the area around the Talisman Master Tower still made Wei Fan feel rather uncomfortable.

As the three arrived, the doors of the Talisman Master Tower opened automatically, as though welcoming them inside.

Lu Qingshan pondered for a moment before saying, "Come, let's go in!"

The three then entered the Talisman Master Tower.

They wound upward along the spiral staircase. As they climbed, Lu Qingshan quietly reminded them, "Whatever you see later, don't be too surprised!"

"?"

"?"

Wei Fan and Shi Meng both looked confused.

But Lu Qingshan offered no further explanation and silently led the way ahead.